


Didn't Mean to Scare You

by Godsliltippy



Category: Thunderbirds
Genre: Episode Tag, Gen, tunnels of time
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-31
Updated: 2020-05-31
Packaged: 2021-03-03 02:29:10
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,840
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24463540
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Godsliltippy/pseuds/Godsliltippy
Summary: The tunnels might've left something else for Gordon to deal with on his way back to the island.TAG for Tunnels of Time
Comments: 9
Kudos: 26





	Didn't Mean to Scare You

**Author's Note:**

> Bleeeeeh my mom got me Animal Crossing D: it took me way too long to write this!
> 
> It might be a bit wonky too XD hope y'all enjoy!

He hadn't meant to forget, but in all the drama and twists and turns of the temple, the tiny object had stayed tucked away in the relative safety of his belt. He should've told her, but then, he'd almost told her everything. That moment had left him spinning with regret, his mouth having forgotten how to communicate with his brain.

Penelope had left with Parker after the chauffeur had discovered his keys in his pants pocket, offering some relief to the hectick day. Gordon had been loaded into Thunderbird 2, Scott already taking off for another rescue, and the little thing - a miniscule nuisance - continued to stay quietly in his belt until he found himself scratching at the spot on his neck. The tiny wound caused by an aged dart that shouldn't have been able to penetrate his skin, much less cause the irritation searing up his neck. 

"Hey, Virg," Gordon knew waiting until they got home might not be the greatest idea. "I'll be right back. Gotta go check something."

His brother turned to watch him stand with the caution of someone who knew what the blonde had endured. Gordon wanted to brush off the concern, but as he straightened, the cabin swayed - or he did. 

"You okay there, Fish?" Virgil questioned as Gordon took hold of the back of his seat to steady himself.

He didn't want to assume anything, but he also didn't feel like scaring his brother over something as trivial as being light-headed, "I'm good. Think I got up too fast." Which wasn't a lie. He had stood up a little too quickly.

Without another word, he slipped past the rear seat and into the small washroom. Once inside, Gordon closed the door to reveal the full-length mirror they occasionally used to check for undiscovered injuries after a mission. 

Like today.

Pulling back the collar of his suit, he was greeted by angry red splotches running up the length of his neck and into his hairline. At the center, a small, purplish blue dot indicated just where the dart had hit him. The swelling around the area was alarming, to say the least. 

"Dammit."

Resigned to his fate, Gordon pulled open the door, forcing his fingers away from the irritation that seemed to be getting worse, "Alright, maybe there's a problem."

Virgil didn't even ask before initiating autopilot and jumping up from his seat. His brow rose with acknowledgement as he attempted to assess the situation. "What's wrong?" Gordon turned. "Oh, Whoa, what happened?"

"Got hit with a poison dart," he gave a lopsided grin that didn't quite have the relaxing effect he'd hoped for. "At least, I think it was poisoned, if this is any indication." He gestured at his neck.

"When did this happen?" Virgil asked, possibly out of curiosity, but most likely to achieve a timeline for the poison's progression.

Gordon thought for a moment, going through each near death experience he and their friends had been subjected to, "After the death fog and spears, but before you guys showed up." He counted his fingers, "So, about an hour ago, maybe."

"Did you or Lady Penelope do anything to treat it?" Already heading for the medkit kept in the cockpit, Virgil missed the guilt crumple his brother's resolve. After too long a beat of silence, the engineer's medical senses spiked, "Gordon?"

There was no point hiding the truth, "I kinda - didn't tell anyone - y'know… about it."

Dark brows knit together and Gordon wanted to laugh about how it looked like a caterpillar had taken up residence on Virgil's face, but the heat coming from the eyes underneath quelled all sense of humor, "You what? Why on Earth not?" Even as his voice rose a decibel, he was turning the smaller figure to begin cleaning and checking the wound. 

"There was a lot going on. I didn't want to worry anyone more than we already were," because the tunnels had quickly started feeling like the tomb it was meant to be. Gordon had wanted to keep his head - keep Penelope safe. There was nothing any of them could've done in that moment. "Plus, I hadn't felt any different - up until now."

Pushing away his anger, Virgil settled into what Gordon recognized as a professional demeanor, "What symptoms do you have?"

"Well, it started itching right after take off," he concentrated on what his body might be trying to tell him. One golden brow lifted, "Now, I don't feel anything," he went to prod the area only to get tangled in his brother's fingers as he cleaned. 

"Gordon, please -" but the aquanaut froze, eyes wide as he went to touch the area again. "What are you doing?"

"I can't feel anything," he turned, the fear creeping into his chest as he met his brother's gaze. "It's numb."

Professionalism faltered into fear before morphing into purpose, "Let's get a medscan. Lay down for me." The cockpit medical bed lowered and Gordon was quick to comply. In seconds, the disk was dragged down the length of his body and the readouts flashed above him.

Minor skin puncture, increased white count, increased heart rate, but not so high to be alarming, O2 sats were dropping just the slightest. Nothing was screaming at them for attention, but they both knew something wasn't right. 

"We need to know what hit you," the raven-haired man was opening a drawer to retrieve one of the syringes for the more in-depth analysis. Gordon stopped him with a quick hand on his arm, his other hand reaching into the pocket that held the dart. "Oh - that'll work."

The offending object was place into the necessary device and within seconds they had the information.

"Curare - plant based? It can't be that potent after being stuck in a temple for ages?" Even as Gordon said it, he could already feel the effects moving down his chest. Why now? Not that he was complaining. If he'd been affected back in the tunnel, it might've meant death for Penelope and Parker. It just didn't make sense why it would wait - but then, the running, the climb, holding all three of them on one arm as they dangled over an abyss. The toxin had been given the boost it needed to attack his system, and even as he came to that conclusion, Gordon felt the struggle of keeping his breathing steady.

"O2 Sats just started going down - for some old stuff, it appears to be doing its job," Virgil managed a strained smile as he placed a hand on the younger man's shoulder. "Hey, nothing to worry about. We've got modern science, remember?"

"The sooner the better please," he wheezed. "Why can't I breathe right?"

"It's a natural muscle relaxer - not really used much anymore. You've got too much in you and its started relaxing the muscles in your diaphragm." Virgil was talking and searching, coming back with a clear capsule that held a medication Gordon didn't recognize. "Alright, just going to apply this and you should start feeling normal by the time we get home."

Relief swept through him and the blonde smiled, "So no trip to the infirmary then?"

A bark of laughter, "Oh, you'll be in for observation for the rest of the day and tomorrow morning. You're just lucky this didn't get you in those tunnels."

A resolved groan, "Tell me about it."

"Alright, Fish," a firm hand cuffed his shoulder, "Just hold tight and we'll be home before you know it." The grip left as his brother turned back for the pilot seat.

It could've been the mix of fear and relief crashing down on him, but he couldn't stop the words from spilling out of his mouth, "I almost kissed Penelope."

Virgil's boots scuffed against the metal flooring before the larger man pivoted, whirling back into the new storm his brother had started, "You what?"

A hand came up to hide amber eyes from his brother, unsure what to feel or think. Gordon knew one thing though, "I'm an idiot."

"Only sometimes," the engineer sidestepped the distraction, "What happened?"

This was a part of the adventure his brother's would have to imagine, the video feed gone after the door came down on the cable. They'd at least seen the giant golden idol, however, "When the floor started caving in, we climbed to the top of the statue - nowhere else to go, I thought it might be - y'know…"

"You thought you were going to die?" Virgil surmised with a helping of skepticism. "You know Scott and I weren't about to let that happen."

The hand moved and two sets of brown eyes locked, "Practicing some seriously strong optimism now?"

A shrug, "It's usually easier after I've pulled you out of the fire." The smile that followed was warm and wary of an older brother in charge of keeping Gordon out of trouble. A very difficult task, indeed. "Continue."

The blonde sighed and coughed with the strain on his lung muscles, "So I thought we were going to die and she was looking to me for answers - it just seemed like - I don't know. Whatever it was, it was dumb, because there was obviously more I could do to save us than kissing Penelope."

Sympathy etched it's way over Virgil's face, but the smile remained, "Stress affects everyone differently. In all our years working with her, has Lady Penelope ever been without an answer?"

He shook his head, she was way too experienced an agent to let a situation get away from her, "Maybe that's it - I don't think I've ever seen her look at me like that - like she was scared and didn't know what to do."

Helpless romantic that he was, Virgil leaned against the medical bed, arms crossed as he regarded his brother, "So, what does she think now?"

Why he laughed, Gordon didn't know, but it wasn't humorous in the least, "Foot in mouth - I told her we wouldn't work out."

A wince, "Geeze, Gordo. But hey, that doesn't mean anything. You were both dealing with some extremely stressful situations."

The optimism was normally his thing, but coming from Virgil, he wondered how anyone could put up with the aquanaut's too-bright personality. It wasn't his brother's fault though. Gordon felt terrible - physically and mentally, and couldn't think of any kind of response to make the words stick better. It had been stressful, but not unlike any of their other rescues. Penelope simply made it different and he felt like a complete fool letting it hinder his judgement.

"Let's just get home so Scott can freak out for a minute," because this was a new development their commander wasn't aware of yet. "Just promise you'll leave me with something other than the sterile walls of the infirmary."

"Can do," Virgil took the hint and returned to the pilot's seat, releasing the autopilot to increase their speed, "Look on the bright side," it seemed he wasn't done yet, "You could've kissed her. Then where would you be?"

Dead - completely and utterly deceased.


End file.
